Europe is Bigger Than You Think

Most of you probably have restricted journey time. You have two, maybe three weeks, journey time if you reside within the US. So it’s comprehensible that you actually need to make use of that point wisely and pack in as a lot as possible when you journey to Europe. But Europe is bigger than you think. Here’s why you shouldn’t attempt to see all of it in a single trip.

Looking on the map

I discovered this enjoyable web site that lets you overlay different maps on top of every other. It didn’t have continents, however I was able to say that I desired to place a map of the US over a map of Germany, and it shows the define of the continental US over Europe.

The site is here if you wish to play with it, however below is a screenshot of what it looks like. (Note: It is not lined up so far as latitude. The long, straight border between the US and Canada would actually be solely a bit north of Paris.)

Distances between European highlights

If you desired to hit the highlights of Europe, your list might look one thing like this: London, Paris, Barcelona, Rome, Munich, Vienna, Prague.

The countries in Europe are a lot smaller than countries simply like the US or Canada, so it’s easy to look at a map and think it’s not too far to get from one metropolis to the next. But right here are the distances:

For a little perspective, right here is an itinerary within the US with similar distances:

Boston, MA to Philadelphia, PA: 310 miles
Philadelphia, PA to Charleston, SC: 670 miles
Charleston, SC to St. Louis, MO: 855 miles
St. Louis, MO to Atlanta, GA: 555 miles
Atlanta, GA to Tallahassee, FL: 260 miles
Tallahassee, FL to Pensacola, FL: 195 miles

Would you attempt to tackle a visit like that in two and even three weeks? Probably not. So you might not need to attempt to do it in Europe either.

Don’t forget transportation time

You’ll lose a lot of time in transit if you spend two weeks bouncing between 5 cities. Even if a two hour flight doesn’t appear like a lot of time, you’ll spend a lot greater than simply two hours in transit.

Remember that you have to be on the airport an hour or two forward of your flight, and it takes time to get to the airport. Then you have to account for time when you land to discover your baggage and get into the city.

If you’re flying between a non-Schengen and a Schengen country, you’ll have to deal with passport checks, customs and immigration as well.

That two hour flight actually takes about 5 hours minimum.

Trains are a good option for watching the scenery, however they will take a good period of time too. Rome to Munich is 9-10 hours. Paris to Barcelona is roughly the same. The quickest option I discovered for Munich to Barcelona is 14 hours.

Stick to one nation or neighboring countries

Italy covers an space of 116,347 sq. miles. Florida covers an space of 65,755 sq. miles. So Italy is almost twice the size of Florida.

You could simply spend two or three weeks in Italy and solely see a fraction of it.

Organize a two week itinerary of Germany and uncover how varied a rustic it actually is.

Or go island hopping in Greece for a few weeks.

Interested in Amsterdam? There are a number of nice cities within the Netherlands and neighboring Belgium to maintain you entertained for a few weeks.

The countries in Europe are smaller than the US and Canada. But they’re nonetheless bigger than you think they are.

The inhabitants of Europe (not together with Russia) is almost twice the inhabitants of the US, so it’s extra densely populated. There’s a lot extra to see and expertise in any one nation than that one big metropolis you’ve heard of.

Europe is bigger than you think it is. Take your time, slow down, and enjoy your journey rather than attempting to see an entire continent in two weeks.

You might additionally enjoy:

• 1 Week Itinerary in Paris
• 1 Week Itinerary within the Rhine Valley
• 1 Week Itinerary within the Black Forest
• 3 Day Itinerary in Prague
• Or search for extra itineraries here, together with Italy, Greece, Munich, and Australia